May17, 2007

Mr. Speaker, the border war is increasingly more violent because of the drug cartels seizing control of areas in Mexico to manufacture drugs.

According to the Associated Press, President Calderon has called out the Mexican military to take out the drug smugglers. But some say the drug cartels have more money and outgun even the military. Recently, seven journalists reporting on the ``drug war'' have been murdered, the second most dangerous place for a reporter in the world next to Iraq. Thousands of Mexican citizens have been killed in the violence.

But the problem is not just in Mexico. As long as the United States does not protect our borders, the drug barons will continue to ship those drugs to America.

Some estimate the cartels make between $10 and $30 billion a year shipping that cancer to America.

But the problem has a third ingredient. It is not enough for the military to control the violence in Mexico. It is not enough for us to secure our borders. But the violence will continue until the American consumers curb their lustful appetite for narcotics.